Dissidia Dichotomia
by KingOfStorms
Summary: A tale of order and chaos, that continued for thirteen cycles. And yet only two of those cycles have been revealed. This is a story of the second cycle.
1. Chapter 1

A tale of order and chaos, an endless cycle eternally retold. And yet, for within the balance of light and darkness, there is always a need to upset this equilibrium. Few know of its orchestration, even less knows when it truly started. All that is known is that somewhere within this cycle a seed was planted. With a thirst for dominance and power driving it to bloom, a new line of thought began to grow in the minds of those involved. Why did light and dark, order and discord need to exist in equal portions? Was it not true that if only a single candle flickered, then shadows and darkness could exist? Was it not also true that it took only a single rose in the daylight to cast a shadow?

For true darkness and true light could not exist. The never ending plains of white or black would only show…nothing. And so the war between the God of Harmony, Cosmos and the God of Discord, Chaos began to change. It was no longer a matter of defending boundaries with the pawns at the Gods' disposal. A measure of control needed to be gained, where the pawns would be vanquished and one of the Gods left with but a sliver of their power. Averting nothingness and letting the world's order be shrouded in either hope or dismay.

And so the warriors of Light and Darkness assembled onto the board, to go forth into battle and wage the war of the Gods.

The white lights of Sanctuary shimmered, small crystalline flakes floating upwards from the watery floor as beams of light danced around the long throne where Cosmos sat. The Goddess was radiant. Her beauty and poise parallel to no one in this realm. Her gentle eyes looked towards the figure in front of her, as she slowly rose from her seat, elegantly moving her a strand of her blonde hair away from her face.

"This war...cannot continue, a victor must be decided. I have battled with the God of Discord and our powers are evenly matched. We alone cannot decide the fate of this realm."

The figure before Cosmos shifted his weight and folded his arms across his chest. Brown gloved hands slightly gripping the sleeves of his upper arms. It was impossible to determine the expression he had on his face and without him voicing his thoughts, truly there was no way to really know how he felt otherwise, but Cosmos continued speaking regardless.

"Our powers have been used and divided amongst and the 19 other warriors. The warriors of darkness and the warriors of light. You are my confidant and as such, my last line of defense against Chaos' pawns. You are my Warrior of Light."

The final statement made the figure click his tongue slowly, his head rising slightly so that he met Cosmos' gaze. The Goddess looked down at the man, none of her puzzlement showing on any of her features. She had summoned an interesting individual this time, to be her champion. Truthfully when she had first laid eyes on him, she had thought him to be one of Chaos' tricks. How wrong she could have been. He could very well be the perfect warrior to tip the scales and reign in the darkness.

"You call me a Warrior of Light. That is…hardly accurate in my honest opinion. I am not a Warrior or Fighter, by any means."

His arms unfolded and a gloved hand moved to smooth out the blue robes that hung around the man's body. The hung loosely off of him and one would not think much of his frame at first glance. A man of average build, clad in long blue robes, brown boots, black pants and tunic.

This initial analysis would change immediately when one saw his face, or at least tried to see it. The brown, wide-brimmed hat the man wore shrouded his face in shadow. The features upon the face were almost non-existent, traces of hair, a chin, a nose being barely discernible. The man's only discernible feature made the others seem drastically less important by comparison. A set of glowing, amber eyes. Two lights that broke the shroud of darkness that hovered about the robed warrior.

A heart of light that glowed through the darkness that enclosed him. A warrior of light that was worthy of Cosmos.

"I am by no means a true warrior, in that sense of the word, my blade is not exalted," the glowing amber eyes examining the brown leather glove drawing the short-sword from its hip-sheath, "I am not adorned by knight armour," the free hand slowly lifting a part of the blue robe near the legs to demonstrate his point further.

"But…"

The Black Mage looked at Cosmos, his eyes burning with a solemn sense of purpose.

"For you I would be your sword and shield, a leader to my comrades and your defender. I will bear the mantle of Warrior of Light that you have chosen to bestow upon me."

Cosmos smiled. His eyes were fantastic, even when the darkness consumed the rest of his face. Eyes are a window to the soul and this was a soul that would not lose easily to Chaos or his minions. "Then go forth my Mage of Light, and strike down the darkness."

The Black Mage turned, his robe billowing behind him as he made his way towards the doors that would lead him from Cosmos' chambers and towards the Sanctuary's interior castle. He needed to follow up on the others. He could not let them run amok. This could be more problematic with some than with others. His immediate thoughts trailed off to one of them. The boy who's blood boiled with eagerness, but that in of itself presented a more than likely problem.

A lack of patience, which made Mage think of one phrase in particular, _"Fool's rush in…"_

"BOOYA! I'm ready to go! Those damn Chaos cronies ain't gonna know what hit 'em!"

Zell let loose a series of rapid straight punches out in front of him, before spinning on the ball of his left foot and performing a backwards round-house with his heel leading the way. Upon his completion of the kick, his foot came swiftly down onto the ground before he slammed his fists' knuckles together, the sound of his metal gloves ringing out sharply as he did so. He turned around to face his companion, throwing a thumb over his shoulder and tapping his foot, "Come on man! If we get going now we can start clearing the way for the others!"

Slow footsteps followed behind Zell, moving down the stone staircase that lead away from the Sanctuary castle. The man stopped and carefully looked at Zell over the brim of his sunglasses while the boy bobbed back and forth with a grin on his face. It looked as if he would start running off at any given moment.

"You're too eager. Do you even have a plan?"

The gruff voice replied as its owner watched the young man carefully. Zell stopped bouncing for a moment, only to raise his fist in the air and nod enthusiastically, "Of course! I'm gonna go find the first of Chaos' warriors and knock their teeth in! If we hit them hard right from the start then they won't have time to counter attack!"

The older man shook his head as he shifted the weight of the curved blade on his back.

"That's a terrible way to start a story."

Auron stared at Zell and deep down, had a feeling that he had horrible luck when it came to meeting people. So many of them were so brash and reckless, even if they did seem strong enough to back things up.

Zell frowned at Auron's reponse to his plan, slamming right fist into his left palm.

"Friggin' hell man! Don't just go looking down on me like that! Should I even bother to let you tag along if you're gonna act like that?"

Auron moved towards Zell and placed his right hand on the teen's shoulder. Zell's entire body visibly relaxed as his expression became neutral, letting his fists fall to his sides.

"Your heart is in the right place, but you need to be careful otherwise you may just find yourself in trouble."

Auron removed his hand from Zell's shoulder and began to walk away from the castle and towards its gates.

"You want to make a change in this world. I was like you a long time ago. I wanted to change the world, too. But I changed nothing. That is my story."

Zell began to follow behind Auron, much quieter now after hearing the man speak. He hadn't really thought of things like that. He grinned, running to catch up to Auron, giving the man a thumbs up.

"Your story isn't over y'know. I'll help you write a new chapter in that old book of yours."


	2. Chapter 2

Black Mage's footsteps echoed through the long corridor leading from Cosmos's chambers, the white stone of the passageway illuminated by the by the green light of the green crystals embedded in either side of the walls. His pace was brisk and he had to resort to stopping himself from breaking out into a run simply due to his mind reminding him that he needed to have some sense of decorum when he first formally addressed the other warriors. He had already spoken with some natives of this realm, Moogles he believed they were called, asking them to send word to the other heralds of Cosmos to gather in the library of the castle.

His golden eyes spotted the end of the hallway fast approaching and he clenched his gloved fist as a reminder not to run. His mind began going over the faces of those whom he had seen milling around the castle grounds. When first summoned, Cosmos had called to all of her warriors, speaking of their purpose for being here and had asked them to stay close to her Sanctuary for the time being. Yet Mage could not help but think of the blonde-haired boy with the face tattoo. His reaction to Cosmos' message was…unsavoury. He had gotten the gist of the situation and had not seen a reason to wait for the other warriors, speaking about how he could resolve it himself and wanting to leave the castle prematurely.

"I just pray he has the horse sense to not rush off and find himself in a situation he cannot handle. It would be somewhat disadvantageous for us to have one of our own running around like a headless chocobo and getting outnumbered by those in league with Chaos."

Mage exited the corridor and took a sharp left down a flight of stairs that spiralled downwards to what appeared to be a ballroom that was even fitted with a chandelier. He had to wonder when such a room would even be used. Was there a time of peace in this realm that allowed for such a celebration? The ballroom's floor was the same as in Cosmos' chambers, the floor being a veil of solid water that one could walk upon without fear of sinking, while dancing green lights slowly gliding and floating around. Looking over his shoulder, Mage saw that his robes were not becoming soaked from the water at all, despite the sound the robe made as it occasionally swished over the water's surface. Whatever magic was at work here, it was vast and highly impressive.  
"Well she is a goddess I suppose. Surely she's able to create the nature of this world to suit however she sees fit."

The thought of that caused the Black Mage to think of an immediate opposite to the room's decor. While Cosmos's realm was ethereal and luminescent, Mage felt a brief chill down his spine as he considered the ideals Chaos kept in mind when adorning his own section of the realm. He shook his head before adjusting the brim of his hat with a gloved hand. It was best not to think too deeply about it now, having made his way across the ballroom and towards a door that would lead to the library, pulling open a set of heavy ivory doors that revealed a small chamber with four pathways. Taking the third passageway, it was only after a few more footsteps that Mage would be turning the handle of a single door that opened to reveal the grand library that resided within Cosmos' castle.

The ceiling was high and the shelves of books reached to the very top. Judging from the structure, it was set up within one of Sanctuary's spires, due to the rounded appearance of the ceiling. Mage's gaze turned downwards as his one hand came to rest on a balustrade close to the entrance. A short staircase rounded down to the main floor of the library, which had desks and chairs scattered throughout, along with the start of several ladders that lead to the top of higher bookshelves. A series of eyes fell upon the new figure that had entered the library, some of them growing tense at his appearance. It would appear that the majority of Black Mage's allies were here. He couldn't help but notice the blonde boy was not amongst them, clicking his tongue silently in annoyance.

"What!? How did one of Chaos' warriors make it all the way in here?"

One of them drew a rather large, single bladed sword in front of him, causing Mage to let off a sigh of frustration. Another one. Was he brash or just overly protective? He prayed it was the latter or else he might just start going insane. Thankfully it would seem that Mage's hope in his allies would be immediately restored as a young girl with hazel hair stepped forward, resting a gentle hand on the black-haired youth's shoulder and chest.

"Easy Zack, he's our friend."

She turned her head so she could see Mage.  
"His soul is glowing bright behind that shroud."

Zack looked down at Refia while she had her hands on him. She wasn't even trying to restrain him with the motion. Instead it seemed as if the action was nothing more than to ease his sudden tension, something that Zack did without much of a fuss. As the buster sword lowered, its tip inches from the ground, Refia removed her hands from the S.O.L.D.I.E.R. and contently smiled.

She looked back at Mage and hold his hands in front of herself, "Eyes like his, burn too brightly for him to ever be an agent of Chaos."

While his expression was nigh unnoticeable to most, unless they were right up close to him, Black Mage was still doing his best to hide the smile that had crept on his face from Refia's flattery. He began to descend the stairs, looking over the railing as he did so.

Zack's arm moved to holster the massive blade back over his shoulder, "If you say so Refia," before turning back to Black Mage and rubbing the back of his head, "Sorry about that, I guess I shouldn't get so carried away while we're still on home ground, especially with all of us here."

"Too bright a shine draws eyes of envy."

Came the deep voice of a large, silver haired man in black robes, speaking to no one in particular, or looking at no one in particular for that matter.

"It appears the lack of shine can apparently cause uneasiness unless you're very observant."  
That comment definitely felt like it was directed to Zack and Refia, but not even Mage could be sure due to the tone.

The smile was becoming harder to contain since the others have begun speaking.

"Thank you for your kind words, Refia was it? And you…Zack. You needn't apologize, my visage is only a product of my magical vocation; a side effect that does not seem able to be easily rectified despite my best efforts."

Or lack thereof considering that such efforts had been put on hold since the idea of being perpetually anonymous had become rather appealing.

Mage reached the final step and began to observe the seven others that were present. He quickly recounted, but the amount was the same seven as before, causing the gears and thoughts in Mage's head to start spinning all the more faster.

"It would seem that most of you are accounted for at the very least. I had already expected that a certain blonde individual amongst you would not be here, but I cannot discern why we are lacking a ninth warrior at this meeting. Can anyone tell me who is not here?"  
With that thought now in mind, Mage's smile had vanished entirely.

Zack stepped forward rubbing the back of his neck nervously. Black Mage's tone sounded a lot more serious than he expected it to be for a Warrior of Light, it even out-weighed the silver-haired man in black. Still it didn't feel like it was a good idea to keep a man with no visible expression waiting, especially after having accidentally raised a sword at them for thinking they were someone bad.

"I think I know who you're talking about, I overheard the guy's name is Zell. I saw him running out of the Castle Grounds not too long after Cosmos called us to come inside. Except I then saw a man dressed in red go after him"

Dressed in red? Mage didn't know whom Zack was referring to, but he had only seen a few of the other warriors around the castle before he had been personally summoned to Cosmos' chambers.

Another one of the others stepped forward, this one armed to the teeth. Quite literally, it looked like his entire attire was comprised of nothing but weapons. Mage's unseen eyebrow raised itself curiously.

"I take you know something…?"

"Firion, and yes I know the man you're enquiring about. I briefly met him outside the castle. A man named Auron. It seemed like he was standing just outside the gates and introducing himself to everyone. He was scarred and battle-hardened from the look of him. He did not seem like a man who would make brash decisions, nor ignore the summons from Cosmos."  
Firion had to wonder for a moment why a man such as him would wander off.

"His very aura gave off a presence of honour and loyalty, it seems so out of place he would just wander off like that. Unless of course he's secretly some valiant soul who wants to spare us the trouble of dealing with Chaos."

If only certain people were less valiant and less impatient. Black Mage nodded, "If he's half the man you say he is, then I don't think he left on a whim. I think it is a safe assumption to say that this Auron followed that boy Zell to help keep him out of trouble."  
Maybe that was why he was introducing himself to all the others in the first place, to see who he needed to keep an eye on. Smart…

'_A step ahead of myself then'_ thought Black Mage.

Firion seemed to be satisfied with Mage's hypothesis, "Well I suppose that makes sense. We would just need to catch up to them later on to make sure they are ok."

This warranted an unanimous agreement from the rest of the group.

"So…um…"

Mage had to look around the room twice to find the source of the new voice, before resting his eyes on its owner.

"So, what is it you wanted to discuss with us here? Do you have news from Cosmos?"

A young girl, just looking at her made Mage think he might accidentally pierce her with his eyes. The Goddess really had some interesting choices when it came to warriors. Still, he gave an initial nod of confirmation to her question.

"Indeed I do, along with some things I need to get off my own chest. Pardon me miss, but what is your name?"

She looked surprised for a moment, shying away almost instantly. Was such a question too bold for her? Surely not. She did reply a moment later, trying to find some confidence to lace her voice with. "My name is Terra, can I um…ask what your name is?"

That particular gil-piece seemed to drop amongst the entire group. While they had been learning each other's names and announcing them for Mage, he had not in turn reciprocated the gesture and given his own. Which was a bit problematic to say the least considering one fact.

"I can't remember my name."

He felt like he had kicked a baby seal as he watched Terra draw within herself, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. As Refia moved closer to her to comfort her, another woman stepped forward and from the looks of it, she had no qualms about speaking what was on her mind, no matter how blunt.

"What do you mean you '_can't remember'_? Is that some kind of a joke? Maybe Zack's initial thoughts about you were right and you are an agent of Chaos."

The silver haired man in black rose to his full height and moved between Mage and the woman, who was steadily advancing on the blue-clad Spellweaver.

"Lightning calm down." Came the rocky voice.  
"I'm perfectly calm Golbez, I just want to see what this joker is really playing at. How can we trust or believe a thing he says to us? We can't even see his face?"  
"Don't you think Cosmos would have alerted us by now if he was an intruder? This close to her chambers, she would have no doubt sense a malevolent presence."

That seemed to stop Lightning. That coupled with a restraining arm from Golbez. Black Mage was not scared of the woman, offended undoubtedly, but not scared. He nodded a 'thank-you' to Golbez as the large man stepped away, coming up close to Lightning so that at least she could see the silhouetted contours of his face. She didn't shy away, but she didn't give much emotion away either. That was a face that Mage could be jealous of, if it wasn't for the dark shroud surrounding his own.

Did Lighting perhaps defend Terra from the others noticing her embarrassment, while simultaneously addressing some of her own thoughts as to whether there was a threat in their midst? Possibly, but Black Mage could simply be giving too much credit where only some was due. Then again, he could possibly be letting a bit of annoyance and anger towards Lightning spoil his judgement of her.

"It is true sadly. I wish I could remember my name, but unfortunately I do not. Cosmos has been unable to provide me with one. So I have been gifted with a title instead. Warrior of Light, or more fitting I would say is Mage of Light. Call me what you will, Spellweaver, Black Mage, Mage, it's all the same to me in the end, so long as we fulfil our duties."

Lightning's gaze was locked with the pools of light that had taken up residence within Mage's eyes. She could just see his face in the darkness and despite her initial reaction, found herself having bite back her initial outburst.

"Alright Mage, if you say so. I still think it's kind of odd that Cosmos would have picked someone like you to be her Warrior of Light, but I won't argue with the will of the Goddess."

Lightning turned on her heel, moving towards one of the tables and leaning back on the edge of it, blowing a strand of hair out of her face. Mage couldn't peg if she was sulking, simply no longer interested in his allegiance or if this was her method of calming down. That was a face worth having as a soldier. Speaking of which, Zack broke the impending silence and getting them back to where Terra had left off.

"You never got a chance to tell us what you discussed with Cosmos, or really what you wanted to personally tell us. We all seem to know each other now so this would really be the best time."

Mage stifled a click from his tongue. Maybe this pretty boy was worth his salt in sense after all…maybe…

With a nod he moved a bit away from the group, turning his back of them momentarily while he acquired some ground one which to address them all. "We were all summoned here by Cosmos in order to battle against the Warriors of Chaos. It is our mission to ensure that light endures throughout this realm, that we quell the darkness that threatens it, something you should all know."

Black Mage clasped his hands behind his back, "However, us simply fighting our enemies does not assure our victory. In total there are twenty warriors, all with strengths and weakness and if one of us faces an enemy that we cannot adequately match, it will hinder the rest of us in our duty. A duty which we have already fulfilled once."

The cycle rewards the victors with the basic recollection and knowledge of the realm, knowing how to win the cycle and giving a head start on the opposing side. Yet this alone does not win the war, it would simply give a possible advantage, for eventually all present in the world would understand its concepts and how to manipulate them.

Golbez folded his arms and stared at Mage with unblinking eyes, "So what would you propose we do? Surely more than just remind ourselves of the basics of combat."

Black Mage nodded and this time allowed the small smile to creep onto his face, not caring if the others did manage to see it.

"We simply add to our numbers."

This warranted Golbez to shake his head and lose some of his entralling composure, "That's impossible."

"It is not."

Mage's eyes burned with truth as he gazed at Golbez, the will in the spellcaster's voice causing the larger man not to press his own point and allow Mage to continue.

"There are more than just we present in this realm. New beings have made their way here and while they carry no allegiance to us, Cosmos or Chaos, I have been informed that we stand a chance to sway them to our side and to further increase our own strength."

Golbez cocked his head slightly, his interest growing, "Who are these individuals that you speak of?"

Black Mage chuckled, "Forces that rival ourselves, yet cannot be summoned as the warriors of harmony or discord. While their natures can depict an affinity for one side or the other, as of right now they are in a state of neutrality."

Black Mage brought his arms out from behind his back, opening his palms in front of him and using his magic to sculpt great and powerful figures out of ice, fire and lightning.

"They are known as the Eidolons."


End file.
